JOHOR BAHRU, Feb 14 – The Department of Chemical Engineering at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Nigeria, successfully hosted an international webinar examining the evolving landscape of education in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). The session featured Dr. Abdulmumini Inda from the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Technology (FEST), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), as the keynote speaker.

The webinar brought together academics, researchers, and postgraduate students to reflect on how AI is transforming teaching, learning, and scholarly responsibility. In a session that was both philosophical and practical, Dr. Inda challenged participants to rethink not only how technology is used, but who they are becoming in the process.

Standing at a Doorway

Dr. Inda opened the session with a powerful metaphor, describing the current academic moment as “standing at a doorway.” On one side stands the familiar world of scholarship, where knowledge is cultivated through careful reading, critical writing, patience, and verification. On the other side lies a rapidly evolving landscape where intelligence can be generated instantly and with minimal effort.

The central question, he emphasised, is not about convenience but about wisdom.

“If information now flows instantly like water from a tap, are we prepared to evaluate its quality and use it responsibly?” he asked.

He framed artificial intelligence not merely as a digital tool, but as a new climate. When climates change, wise societies do not deny reality; they adapt strategically. In education, this means safeguarding what is most vulnerable: integrity, depth of understanding, and human development.

Human Learning vs Machine Processing

A key theme of the lecture focused on the distinction between human learning and machine processing. While AI systems rely on pattern recognition and computational speed, human beings learn through meaning, reflection, and experience.

Dr. Inda described the human brain not as a warehouse of stored information, but as a garden requiring careful planting and nurturing. In an era where AI can instantly produce essays, analyses, and solutions, the danger lies in bypassing the cognitive processes that build deep understanding.

He cautioned against treating education as “fast food”: quick, efficient, and immediately consumable. Genuine learning, he argued, resembles bread: it requires mixing, kneading, heat, and time. Struggle builds comprehension; repetition strengthens mastery; reflection transforms information into insight.

For universities worldwide, including UTM, the implication is clear: technology must enhance intellectual growth, not replace it.

The Courtroom and the Mirror

Addressing ethical responsibility, Dr. Inda introduced another compelling framework: every mind carries both a courtroom and a mirror.
The courtroom asks critical questions: Is it true? Is it reliable? Is it safe?

The mirror asks reflective questions: Who am I becoming through this usage? Honest or performative? Curious or complacent?

While AI can simulate expertise and generate persuasive content, reliance without comprehension produces fragile competence. Borrowed knowledge, he warned, does not withstand real-world testing, whether in laboratories, professional interviews, or field challenges. Only authentic understanding endures.

This perspective aligns strongly with UTM’s commitment to producing graduates who are not only technologically competent but ethically grounded and intellectually resilient.

From Passive Users to Skilled Navigators

In discussing adaptation, Dr. Inda encouraged participants to avoid becoming “leaves” blown by technological trends. Instead, they must become “sailors” who learn to navigate currents intentionally. The ocean of innovation cannot be controlled, but it can be studied and navigated wisely.

He identified three essential qualities for thriving in the AI era, namely curiosity to explore beyond surface-level outputs, humility to verify, question, and remain open to correction, and discipline to practice consistently until skills are fully internalised.

Adaptation, he stressed, is not about downloading new applications. It is about upgrading thinking. The shift from copying output to building insight determines whether AI empowers or weakens academic growth.

Ethics as an Act of Mercy

The ethical dimension of AI formed a central pillar of the webinar. As technological power expands, responsibility must expand alongside it. Rules and guidelines, Dr. Inda noted, are not restrictions but safeguards.

He proposed three ethical “lanterns” to guide scholars, namely truth, which emphasises verifying information before sharing or publishing; trust, which underscores the importance of never presenting generated content as personal scholarship; and benefit, which highlights the need to ensure that innovation does not harm dignity or credibility.

Knowledge, he reminded participants, is an amanah (a trust). In the AI era, integrity becomes even more critical, not less.

Positioning UTM in Global Dialogue

The webinar highlighted UTM’s active role in shaping global conversations on ethical AI and education. By contributing thought leadership to international platforms, UTM demonstrates its commitment to responsible innovation and transformative scholarship.

As universities worldwide grapple with the implications of generative AI, dialogues such as this underscore the importance of balancing speed with reflection, power with accountability, and automation with humanity.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Inda urged participants to listen with “a double ear”, one attentive to technological advancement and the other attentive to personal growth.

“Artificial intelligence may generate answers,” he concluded, “but only human beings can generate wisdom.”

The session concluded with engaging discussions and positive feedback from participants, reaffirming the importance of sustained international collaboration in navigating the future of education. Through initiatives like this, UTM continues to position itself as a global thought leader committed to innovation anchored in integrity.

By Dr. Abdulmumini Inda & Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jamilah Ahmad